Cup dispensing mechanism



Sept. 17, 1946. w. voN'sToEsER CUP vDISPENS ING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept. 17, 1943 Nm.. bw

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sept. 17,1946.,

W. VON- STO'ESER CUP DIsPENsING MECHANISM Filed sept. 1v, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .ifi-army.

Sept. 17, 1946. W.y VON` sToEsER 2,407,968

CUP DISPENS ING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 17, 1943 5 sheets-sheet s Patented Sept. 17, 1946 2,407,968 our DIsPENsTNG MECHANISM Walter Von Stoeser, North Tonawanda, N. Y., as-

signor to The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, North Tonawanda, N. Y., a corporation of Ohio Application September 17, 1943, Serial No. 502,771

(Cl. B12-44) 12 Claims. l

This invention relates generally to the art of dispensing but more particularly to certain new and useful improvements in magazine cup-dispensing mechanism designed for use with coinoperated beverage dispensing apparatus.

It has for one of its objects to provide a dispensing mechanism of this character having a plurality of cup magazines and so designed as to efect the emptying of one magazine and then automatically shifting it from cup-dispensing position while simultaneously presenting the next magazine to its cup-dispensing position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a multi-magazine cup dispenser which is fully automatic and reliable in operation, which is simple and inexpensive in construction, and which is composed of a minimum number of parts so constructed and arranged as to not get out of order or adjustment.

A further object is to provide electrically-controlled devices for governing the automatic shifting of the full magazine to its cup-dispensing position when the first-operated magazine has been emptied.

Other features of the invention reside in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the cup dispensing mechanism embodying my invention. Figure 2 is a top plan View thereof, partly in section. Figure 3 is a side view of the companion slide and bar means for governing the actuation of the cup-dispensing magazine. Figure 4 is a cross section taken on line 4 4, Figure l. Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical connections for automatically controlling the mechanism. Figures 6 and 7 are enlarged sectional elevation views of the switch units employed, respectively, for governing the movement of the magazine-carriage from one position to another and for automatically rendering the dispensing apparatus inoperative when the last cup in the last-operative magazine has been emptied.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

This magazine cup-dispensing mechanism has been primarily designed for use with coin-operated beverage dispensing apparatus wherein a predetermined amount of the drink is poured into a dispensed cup upon the deposit of a coin. l

In the preferred construction of the cup-dispensing mechanism shown in the drawings, the

A same consists of a rectangular-like frame structure Hl upon which the various working parts in the mechanism are mounted, its lower portion having supported thereon a pair of longitudinally-extending rods or tracks I I on which a cup magazine carriage I2 is guided through the medium of rollers I3 on -such tracks for movement relative to the frame to different cup-dispensing positions. Rising from and mounted in spaced longitudinal relation on this carriage are cup-dispensing magazinesM, I4a of ordinary construction, each being provided with a radial arm cr trigger I5 projecting therefrom for actuation to a cup-releasing position. The cups I6 are disposed in nested relation in each magazine to be dispensed one at a time as the arm I5 is actuated. By Way of example, two of such cup magazines are shown in the drawings, the mechanism being designed to effect the emptying of the magazine I4 rst and .thereupon shifting the carriage to bring the magazine IIIa into the former position occupied by the first magazine to permit the dispensing of cups therefrom. As the magazinesrare emptied they may .be replenished or recharged.

The magazine carriage I2, after the rst magazine I4 is emptied of its cups, is adapted to be shifted to the right, viewing Figure 1, to bring the magazine Ma into the Same position previously occupied by the companion magazine and bringing the latter to the position shown by dotted lines in said iigure, and for this purpose a springpowered winch Il or the like is mounted at the right hand end of the frame I and connected to the corresponding end of the carriage by a link I'I. The carriage is normally held in its retracted position by a displaceable latch I8 which is guided for vertical movement in a suitable bracket I 9 depending from the frame and which is adapted in its latched position to abut against the front end of the carrier in the manner shown by dotted lines in Figure l. A spring 20 applied to this latch normally urges it upwardly to its latched position. By preference, this latch constitutes the plunger of a solenoid ill so that when the latter is energized in the manner hereinafter described the latch is depressed or released and the carriage projected by the spring-powered Winch I'I to its right hand position. When the second magazine has been emptied of its cups, then the carriage may be returned manually to its initial position ready to start the dispensing of cups from the first magazine.

Means are provided for actuating the cup-dispensing triggers I5 in such a fashion that the trigger of the magazine I4 is rendered operative until all the cups therein have been dispensed Guided for longitudinal movementrbetween the frame lli and one side or the carriage i2 is a re ciprocating trigger-actuatingslide 22 having a longitudinal slot 23 therein provided in its upper edge and intermediate the ends thereo with a` notch 24 with which the trigger i5 `of each magn azine is adapted to register when in cup-dispensing position, so that upon reciprocation oi .the

slide the trigger is actuated to dispense a cup from the operatively positioned magazine. This slide is also adapted to swing vertically suiicientiy to bring its notch 24 clear of operative register with the triggers during the movement of the carriage l2 in one direction or the other, as when shifting it automatically to bring the first magazine lli to its inoperative position and the second magazine lila to its operative position and vice versa, during which times the triggers register with the companion portions of the slide-slot 23.,

While any suitable means may be employed for reciprocating the slide 22 to dispense a Vcup from the magazine, that shown in the drawings, by way of example, consists of a heart-shaped cam 2-5 driven by suitable Vgearing 2E from an electricV motor 2l mounted on a bracket 28 secured to one end of the frame iii, and a link 2Q connected at one end to the slidevand having a roller 29a at its other end traversing the groove of the cam, as shown in Figure 1. i Dispo-sedY alongside and in contiguous relation to the outer face of the reciprocating and verticallydisplaceable slide '22 is a combined guide and pivoted actuator bar or member it@ for guid1 ing the slide during its reciproca-tion and for governing its displacing movements to bring the notch 2dY thereof into and out of register with the trigger of one or the other of the cup magazines. This bar is substantially coeXtensive with the slide and atits opposite upper ends has transverse studs 3! thereon which engage companion longitudinal guide slots 32 in the corresponding ends of the slide for guiding the latter during its reciprocation. At one end thereof the bar 36 is connected to the frame by a horizontal pivot-stud 33 while its opposite end has an arcuate slot 34 therein engaging a guide pin 35 secured to thc frame and whereby such bar is capable of a limited vertically-swinging movement relative to the frame and for compelling a like movementto be transmitted to the reciprocating slide. ,Along its lower edge this bar has a cam 36 which is adapted to be engaged at a perdetermined time in the movement of the carriage l2 by a tappet pin 3l projecting fromV the latter and in the path of such cam to therebyr raise the bar 3l! upwardly and accordingly lift the companion slide 22 therewith to release its notch 2d from operative engagement with the alining trigger l of the cup inagazine lili and intov register with the slide-slot 23. The tappet pin 3l is so located on the magazine carrier that when the rst magazine it is in' cupdispensing position, such pin is disposed to the left of the bar-cam 36, viewing Figure 1, whereby, upon release of the latch i3 from the carriage,

the advance of the latter by the spring-powered winch il causes the pin to immediately encounter the cam edge 36 and raise the bar Si! to the posi.-A

tion shown in Figure :3. The length of the cam 5 is vsubstantiallyequal to that of the spacing between the axial centers oi the two magazines, so that when the carrier advances a like distance to bring the emptied magazine ifi out of and the companion full magazine lilla into cup-dispensing position, the tappet pin clears the cam and the foar 30 and slide 22 jointly drop by gravity to their initial, substantially horizontal position with the notch 2li oi the slide in operative relation with the trigger l5 to cause a cup to be dispensed from said magazine i4a during each reciprocation of the siide.` The frame lil has longitudinal slots 3B, 39 therein in register with the trigger and tappet pin, respectively.

The'means provided for automatically effecting the release or" the carriage-holding latch iS to cause the spring-propulsion of the carriage l2 in a direction to bring the magazine i4 out of and the magazine ida into cup-dispensing position is governed by a switch i includedl in the circuit of the latch-controlling solenoid 2l. The movable element of this switch is applied to one arm ci a vertically-swinging bell cranl; lever 4l mounted in a housing i2 disposed alongside the lower portion of the cup magazine i4 and having a feeler element 43 on its other arm projecting through an opening lill in such housing for wiping engagement with the cup-rims, as shown in Figure 6. The lever ii is normally urged to pivot to its switch-closing position but as long as a cup remains in the magazine the lever is held thereby in its switch-opening position. By this construction, when the last cup in the maga-zine I4 has been dispensed therefrom, the switch 4S is automatically closed to energize the'solenoid and cause the latch it* to be retracted from its latch ing position and the carriage to be propelled by the spring-powered winch il to bring the magazine lila into cup-dispensing position and its trigger i5 into register with the slide-notch 24.

Attached to the underside of the frame l5 is a switch l5 having an operating linger @t normally urged upwardly for entry into an opening lll in the bottom of the carriage l2, Vand in which position such switch is closed. This switch is con'- nected in series with the dispensing switch 4t and with the coil of a relay so that when the dispensing switch is closed the circuit isclosed through the relay, its points Lili 'are closed and the latch-solenoid 2l is energized to release the latch i8. When the carriage is thus moved, the switch l5 is opened and the relay i8 and solenoid are de-energized,

A switch 5G is mounted in a housing i2 of the magazine Ma for the purpose oi opening the circuit of a relay magnet 52 of the coin mechanism of the dispensing apparatus when the last cup has been dispensed, and thereby prevent the introduction of further coins and render such apparatus inoperative until again supplied with cups. As long as thereare cups in the magazine, this switch is vclosed and its' movable velement is applied to one arm of a ib'ell crank leverl53,.the other arm of the latter having aV cup-engaging feeler 54, which, when the last cup is dispensed, causes the bellcrank to pivot to its yswitch-opening position. The deposit of a coin initiatesrthe operation of the dispensing apparatus to dispense a cup and when the last cup is dispensed, the circuit through the relay 52 is opened to cause the 75 initiation of a mechanism to obstriuct Vthe coin passage and prevent the entrance of further coins. `If desired, a signal lamp may be included in this switch circuit to indicate that the cup-magazine is empty.

While manifestly simple and compact in construction, this multi-magazine cup dispenser is positive and reliable in operation, and enables an emptied magazine to be refilled without interfering with the dispensing operation of the companion magazine.

I claim as my invention:

l. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a frame, a carriage guidedon said frame and having a plurality of cup-dispensing,

magazines mounted thereon and adapted for movement to bring such magazines from and to a cup-dispensing position, means successively operatively engageable With means on the magazines when in dispensing position for releasing cups therefrom until empty, means governed by the movement of the carriage and correlated with said lmeans engageable with the cup-releasing means for rendering the same inoperative on the releasing means on one of the magazines and operative on the other, and means operatively connected to said carriage for. actuating it in a direction to bring the emptied magazine out of and the succeeding full magazine into dispensing position and to move the means engageable with the cup releasing means into inoperative relation with the releasing means on the empty magazine after the last cup has been released from such emptied magazine and thereafter permit the engageable means to engage the cup-releasing means on the full magazine.

2. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a frame, a carriage guided on said frame and having a plurality of cup-dispensing magazines mounted thereon and adapted for movement to bring such magazines from and to a cup-dispensing position, each of said magazines having a cup-releasing actuating trigger therefor, trigger-engaging means successively engageable with said magazine-triggers and displace'- able from and to coupling engagement therewith, and means operatively connected to said triggerengaging means and governed by the movement of the carriage for displacing such trigger-engaging means out of engagement Withone of the magazine-triggers and into operative engagement with the trigger `of another magazine when the first magazine is empty of cups.

3. An apparatus of the character` described, comprising a frame, a carriage guided on said. frame and having a plurality of cup-dispensing magazines mounted thereon and adapted for movement to bring such magazines from and to a cup-dispensing position, each of said magazines having an actuating trigger therefor, means coinmon to and releasably engageable at predetermined times With the magazine-triggers for actuating them to dispense cups, and means on said carriage and frame for governing the displacement of the trigger-actuating means to av released positionifrom one of the magazine-triggers and into coupling engagement with the trigger of any other magazine when the carriage is moved to bring the rst magazine out of and the next magazine into cup-dispensing position When said rst magazine is empty of cups.

4. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a frame, a carriage guided on said frame and having a plurality of cup-dispensing magazines movable from and to a cup-dispensing position, each of said magazines having an actuating trigger therefor, combined reciprocating `and vertically-displaceable means guided for movement relative to the carriage and successively releasably engageable with the magazine triggers to actuate them. to dispense cups, and complementary means disposed in correlation with said carriage and said combined means for governing the displacement of the latter to release it from engagement with the trigger of the magazine lin cup-dispensing position and into coupling engagement with ,the next magazine when the carriage is moved to bring the iirstnamed magazine out of dispensing position and the second-named magazine into dispensing position when said first-named magazine is empty of cups.

5. An, apparatus of the character described, comprising a frame, a carriage guided on said frame and having cup-dispensing magazines thereon each having an actuating trigger therefor, means operatively connected to said carriage for constantly urging it in a direction to bring the rst of the magazines out of and the second into cup-dispensing position, means for releasably latching the carriage in its initial cup-dispensing position, actuating means for releasable coupling, engagement with the trigger of a magazine when in its operative position to dispense cups.

therefrom, means operatively connected to said latch for actuating it to its released position at a predetermined time in the cup-dispensing condition of the nrst magazine, and means correlated with the trigger-actuating means and initiated by the movement of the carriagefor releasing the former from coupling engagement with the trigger of the first magazine and permitting it to move into coupling engagement With the trigger of the second magazine when said nrst magazine is empty of cups.

6. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a frame, a carriage guided on said frame and having cup-dispensing magazines thereon each having an actuating trigger therefor, means operatively connected to said carriage for constantly urging it in a direction to bring the first of the magazines out of and the second into cup-dispensing position, means for releasaloly latching the carriage in its initial cup-dispensing position, actuating means for releasableV coupling engagement with the trigger of a maga-- zine when in its operative position to dispense cups therefrom, means disposed in cup-engaging relation to the iirst magazine and operatively connected to .said latch for actuating it to its released position when the last cup in such magazine has been dispensed, and complementary means disposed in correlation with means on said carriageand said trigger-actuating means and initiated by the movement of the carriage, when released, for releasing the trigger-actuating means from coupling engagement with the trigger of the nrst magazine and into. registering coupling engagement With the trigger of the second magazine when said nrst magazine is empty of cups.

7. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a frame, a carriage guided on said frame and having cup-dispensing magazines thereon each having an actuating trigger therefor, means operatively connected to said carriage for constantly urging it in a direction to bring the first of the magazines out of and the second into cup-dispensing position, means for releasably latching the carriage in its initial cup-dispensing position, reciprocating means disposed tal planes and having a parall'elfto the carriage for releasable coupling engagement with the trigger of a magazine when in its operative position to dispense cups therefrom, `means connected to said trigger coupling means for reciprocating the same, a laterally displaceable member disposed alongside saidreciprocating trigger coupling means and provided with means constituting a guide therefor, and means on said carriage and engageable with said displaceable member for actuating it to a position to release the reciprocating means from coupling engagement with the magazine-trigger during the movement of the carriage from one cup-dispensing position to the other when the magazine in operative'position is empty of cups.

8. In a device of the character described, a movable carriage having a pair of cup magazines thereon each having an actuating trigger for dispensing cups therefrom, a reciprocating slide disposed alongside said carriage for movement relative thereto in substantially vertical and ho-rizontal planes and having a longitudinal triggerreceiving slot therein including a trigger-co-upling notch in one edgethereof, and means initiated by the movement of the carriage for displacing said slide vertically to bring thenotch thereof out of coupling engagement with the trigger oi" one of the magazinesy and into coupling engagement with the triggerf'oi predetermined times in the movement of said carriage when said one magazine is emptied of Cups.

9. In a device of the character described, a movable carriage having a pair of cup magazines thereon each having an actuating trigger for dispensing cups therefrom, a reciprocating slide disposed alongside said carriage for movement relative thereto in substantially vertical and horizonlongitudinal trigger-receiving slot therein including a triggercoupling notch in one edge thereof, apivoted member disposed alongside and sulistantially4 coextensive with said slide and operatively connected to the latter for guiding the same during its reciprocating-movement and compelling the displacement thereof during the pivoting movement or"V said member, and complementary inter-engaging means on said carriage and said pivoted member for causing the joint displacement of the latter and said slide to bring-the notch of the latter out of coupling engagement with the trigger of one of the magazines and into coupling engagement with the. trigger of the other magazine at predetermined times in the movement of said carriage when said one magazine is emptied of cups.

1). In a device of the character described, a movable carriage having a pair of cup magazines thereon each having an actuating'trigg'er for` dispensing cups therefrom, means for urging'said carriage in a direction to bring one' of themagazines out of dispensing position and the'other into dispensing position, a releasable latch for retaining the carriage in its initial retracted' position wherein the first magazine is in dispensing position, actuating means successively engagethe other magazine at able with the triggers of magazines when in dispensing position for releasing cupsfrcm the magazines until empty, meansgoverned by the .each having an actuating trigger for dispensing cups therefrom a reciprocating slide, disposed alongside said carriage for :movement relative thereto in substantially vertical and horizontal planes and having a longitudinal,trigger-receiving slot therein including a ,trigger-coupling notch in one edge thereof, means operatively connected to said carriage-foi' actuating it in a direction to bring the iirst-emptied magazine out of. andthe full magazine into dispensing position after the last cup has been released from such emptied magazine, al latch .for kretaining the carriage ink its initial position wherein `the Viirst-narned magazine is in magazine and saidV latch for rendering theiatter operative to release ,thev carriageV when the last cup has been dispensed therefrom, and meansinitiated by the movement of the carriage Vfor displacing said slide vertically to Vbring the notch thereof out of couplingV engagement with the trigger of the first-named magazine and into coupling engagement with the trigger of the full magazine. v

12. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a frame, a carriage guided 'onsaid fra-me and having a plurality of cup-dispensing magazines 'mounted thereon and adapted for movement to bring such magazinesA from and to a cup-dispensing position, means successively engagealble. With'means on the `magazines when in dispensing position for releasing cups therefrom until empty, means operatively connected to `said carriage for actuating it in a direction to bring the emptied magazine out of and the succeeding full magazine into dispensing position after the last cup has' been released from such emptied magazinda latch for retaining the carriage in'its initialjposition.wherein :one of the magazines is Vincup-disp'ensing position, means in correlation with such last-named magazine and said latch for rendering the latter operativo to release the carriage when the last cup has been dispensed therefrom, Van actuatableV member constituting part of a coin mechanism and normally positioned to render such mechanism operative, and means in correlation with the other of said magazines and said actuatable member-for vactuating the latter to a position forrenderingY the coin mechanism inoperative when the last cup has been dispensed therefrom.

WALTER von sfroitsnn.

f cup-dispensing position, means in correlation With such first-named Y 

